Liquid dispenser



sepf. 15, 1931. w, H, HAST 1,823,654

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed March 18, 1931 f van? www jd-w sition, the contents Patented Sept. 15, SS

UNITE-'De WILLIAM H IIAsTY, OPy MINNEAPOLIS;MINNEsoTArAssIGNOR To IIAYDEN MILLER COMPANY; OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, s CORPORATION OF MINNESOTAy ALIQUID DISPENSER Y `Appncation ined March 18, 193i.

My invention ient, sanitary and highly eflicient device for dispensing liquids, the term liquidsf being used in a liberal sense` to include heavy fluid materials such as mustard,'salad dressings and the like which are usually designated as semi-liquids, but whichv will freely flow under pressure. The device here illustrated has been especially designed for use as a table `irticle for the dispensing of condiments such asmustard, salad dressings, and the like. Mustard, for example, restaurants and even in y in which knives, forks and spoons are inserted Eo remove the contents; materials are not onlyexposed to dust and insects, but rapidly dryup with the resulting condition making the same lesspalatable andcausing dryness and necessitating waste. j The specilic illustration ofthe condition applying to mustard also is true in respect to various other condiments and thelike.V

The improved device, which is here xludes a closed jar from which the desired amount of contents can be ejected simply by pressing on a thumb or finger-piece, the jar f from the atbeing at all times kept closed all conditions mosphere and protected from rendering the Vsame unsanitary or causing the evaporation or drying up of the contents. Aside from the sanitary and other conditions above noted, a desired amount of contents from the jar can always be ejected just atthe time and .in the proper place and without waste. v L

As a further and highly important feature, the device is so designed and arrangedthat when the jar is in an upright or normal pothereoi:l cannot be ejected but can be readily ejected when the jarhas been turned into a proper position forfdischarge of the material thereform. Also, the

improved device includes certain other im`` 'l portant features whereby the manner of opprovides a simple, conven-l is usually served in homes 1n vopen Jars,

and in suchjars such y `Y taken through yor cover and illustrating a modified form of the preferredform of i illustrated in the drawings, in

Yserial No. 523,419.

eration is improved and reiilling of the jar is facilitated. Y

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like partsnthroughout the several views.' eferring tothe drawings: i Fig. l is a vertical section taken axially through thecomplete device on the line 1&1 of Fig; 2, some parts being shown in full elevation; f Y

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ktaken on the line V2+2 of Fig. l;

'rE/s [PATENT OFFICE Fig. 8 is a section taken on theline 3 3 of F ig. l, some parts being removed; and

1g. 4 isv a' fragmentary vertical section the top portion of the jar cap glass or porcelain and formed with a cylindrical interior 5. At the front side of the jarE a discharge conduit' extends from the extreme bottom of the jar through a thickcned` side portion rigidly secured to and 3, the numeral,r 4A

of the jar and terminates 'l at its discharge end at an elevation quite close of the cap in axial In this sleeve 11 is A piston head 13 issecured to the lower end of the stern 12. and is provided with a periph- Y eral gasket 14l that closely engages the cylinof the jar. As shown,

dric'al inner surface 5 the lower end of the stem 12 is threaded and is rigidly secured in the depression of the piston head 13 by a body of metal 15 cast in said depression.

A short countershaft 16 is journaled in ears 17 formed on the lower end portion of sleeve 11 and projecting therefrom. A spur gear 18 secured on shaft 16 meshes with the annular teeth of the stem 12. To one projecting end of shaft 16 a. ratchet wheel 19 is secured and on the same end of said shaft is pivotally mounted a small ratchet lever 20. A downwardly spring-pressed pawl or ratchet dog 21 is pivoted to the intermediate portion of lever 2O and as-showmhas 'a hoolilike free end that normally engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 19.

Mounted for vertical movementsthrough the top of the cap 9 and. through. an interior lug or flange 22 of said cap is an actuating plunger 23, th'e reduced portion of which is connected or joined to the larger upper end projectingportion of said plunger ata shoulder 24. The extreme lower end of the re- 25, duced portion of plunger 23 is formed-with Y an elongated perforation or slot 25l through which the shank or short projecting end of the ratchet lever 20 works quite freely. Here it should be noted that vthepawl -or ratchet 'ecting end 26, which dog 21 has a short pro] inthenorrnal position of' the parts shown by full lines in Fig. 1,

gagement with lug 22' topermit the hooklike endeofsaid dogto' engage the teeth off the'ratehetwheel 19.

Surrounding the reduced 'portion of the plunger'23- compressed between the lug 22 and plungershoulder 24 i's a light vcoiledY spring 27 the tension of which is sumcient to move the lever 2O upward until th'e short end 26 of dog 21 has engaged not suflieient tension to' overcome 21a of dog' 21 and hence will not normally disengage the dog 21 from ratchet wheel 19. The importance'of this will appearI later on.

, The numeral 28 indicates a lock dog shown as intermediately piyoted to alug 29 on the adjacent side of sleeve 11. Hereit will be noted that the center of gravity of this dog 28, whenthe device is hand side of the pivot of said pivot so that the upper end of said dog will, by gravity, normally be held undertheV fshoulder 24`` of plunger 23 thereby locking said plunger against downward movement as long as the j ar or' device is set in its upright position.

The operation and use of the deviceis subbe Awell filled with its contents which maybe assumed to be must-ard or any other of the materials noted'or implied, and the piston head 13 will then be in its raised position in- 4dicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

is free enouglrfrom en-A lug 22 buthas the spring P set in an uprightposition as when set on a table, 1s at therlght- .P

said dog and above is preferred because it permits lstantially as follows: Normally, the iar will jar standingupright, plunger 23 cannot be depressed and hence no-part of the contents of the jar can be ejected as long as the jar stands in its upright or normal position. When it is desired to eject the contents from the jar, it is picked up by the handle 10 and turned into a proper position for discharge, tilting the device much as a pitcher would be tilted to pour the contents therefrom. lVhen the ar has been tilted to such proper osition, the center of gravity of the dog 23 will be shifed to the left-hand side of. a verticalline drawn through its pivot and then the said dog will, by gravity, be moved into or closeto the plunger-releasing position indica-tedv ley-dotted lines in Fig. -2 and then, of course, plunger 23 can be freely depressed. `Each depression of plunger 23 produces a step of downward movement of the piston head'13 and causes 'the discharge or ejection of .a certain limited amount of the contents of the jar'.

Of course, as soon as the jar is set back in a vertical position', at rest, dog 24 again loclrs plunger `23 lagainst movement and preventsmateri-al from being ejected from the jar by thoughtless, mischievous or malicious operation. Y v

TJV hen the contents of the jar has been all discharged and it is desired to refill the saine, the leap'9 will be unscr'ewed and removed, the jar will be refilled and the cap and pis-' ton will lbe replaced; but before the piston is'replaced, it should be moved back to its extreme uppermost position. To facilitate this .upward movementof the piston and its stem, pawl21 must be released from ratchet wheel 19 and this action may be very Vquickly and easily accomplished simply by pulling the plunger 23 slightly upward, thereby causing lug 22 to press on short end 26 of awl and thereby disengage said dog from its ratchet wheel, as indidcated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Inv the modified form of the plunger lock illustrated in Fig. 4, the lock element, is shown as inthe form of a ball 30 arranged to worlr in an Y'oblique groove 31 rformed in the topof the cap 9 'and normally engageable wit-ha notch 32 formed in the large uper end portion of plunger 23.

From the foregoing, it is evident that variousmodifications of the preferred structure may be made within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

The above described arrangement of the relative tension. of the springs 2la and 27 the use of very light springs 27 which will-not make the `depression of plunger 23 a different matter.' Nevertheless, the arrangement of the' relative strength of said springs might bereversed so that the pawl 21a would be normally released, but under which ar- Vith the rangement the said pawl would be dropped Htl lili

initial lock operative when said jar vis upright to lock said piston actuating means against op` erating movement but` to release the same when said jar is tilted to discharging position. f

2. A dispensing device of the kind described comprising a jar or container having a discharge conduit leading from its lower portion and an opening outwardrat a point high up on the jar, a cap detachably applied to and normally covering said jar, a piston head working in said jar and having a stem mounted for axial movement in said cap, actuating means mountedon said cap and operable from the exterior thereof to impart step by step movement of said piston head downwardly in said jar to progressively eject the contents from said jar,

and a gravity-actuated lock normally op-` erative to lock said actuating means against movement when said jar is upright but tol release the same when said jar is tilted to discharging position. s Y

3. A dispensing device of the kind described comprising a jar or container having a discharge conduit leading from its lower portion and an opening outward at a point high up on the jar, a cap detachably applied to and normally covering said jar, a piston head working in said jar and having a stem mounted for axial movement in said cap, actuating means mounted on said cap and operable from the exterior thereof to impart step by step movement of said piston head downwardly in said ar to progressively eject the contents from said jar, said actuating means including a spring-pressed plunger projected through the top of said cap,said cap adjacent said plunger having a handpiece so arranged that said plunger may be reached by a thumb of the hand engaging said handle, and a gravity-actuated lock normally operative on said spring-pressed plunger to lock the same against movement but to release the saine when said jar is tilted to a discharging position. A

4f. A liquid dispensing device comprising a jar having a discharge conduit leading from its lower portion outward and opening at a point above the altitude of its maximum content, a cap detachably applied to the open upper end of said jar and having an axiallydepending guide sleeve and an outwardly and yconnected for commonrotation, a pawlequipped sleeveA operative on said ratchet wheel and also mounted on af part carried by said cover, a depressible plunger projected outward through said cap .and connected to vice to impart progressive step by step .movement `to said piston'downward `in,l said fjar, and` agravity-actuated lock normally operative on said spring-pressed plunger to lock the same against movement butto release the saine when saidjar is tilted to a discharging position.

5. A liquid dispensing device comprising a jar having a cylindricalinterior and a discharge conduit leading from its lower portion L outward and opening at a point high up on said jar, a cap detachably applied to said jar and normally closing same, a sleeve depending axially from the top of said cap and hav- .ing shaft bearings in its lower portion, a

piston `working in said jar having a rack toothed 'stem working in the sleeve of said cap, a short shaft jouraled in the bearings of said sleeve, a spur pinion and a ratchet pinion secured to said shaft, the former engaging the teeth of said piston stem, a lever pivoted on said shaft,a pawl pivoted to said lever and normally engaging said ratchet wheel, a spring-retracted plungerl working through the top of said cap and connected to and operating said pawl-equipped lever, and

Va gravity-actuated lock dogpivoted to said sleeve and engageable with said plunger to lock the same against movement when said jar is in an upright position but to release said plunger when said jar is tilted to a discharging position. 6. A liquid dispensing device comprising a j ar having a cylindrical interior and a discharge conduit leading from its lower portion outward and opening at a point high up on said jar, a cap detachably applied to said jar and normally closing the same, a sleeve depending axially from the top of said cap and vhaving'shaft bearings in its lower portion, a

piston working in saidjar having a rack toothed stem working in the sleeve of said cap, a short shaft journaled in the bearings of said sleeve, a spur pinion and a ratchet pinion secured to said shaft, the former engaging the teeth of said piston stem, a lever pivoted on said shaft, a pawl pivoted to said lever and normally engaging said ratchet wheel, and a spring-retracted plunger working through the top of said cap and connected to and operating said pawl-equipped lever, said cap having an outwardly projecting lug and said pawl having a short end engageable with saidl lug to release said dog from and operative on,` said pawland, ratchet d'e- ,75

said ratchet wheel under abnorxnatnpwet'd movementfof said plunger. 

